IVA: Ithaca Voices for Animals
Summer 2005 Newsletter
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In this edition:
1. Welcome
2. What's New
3. Recent Events
4. Upcoming Events
5. Vegan Recipes
6. Recommended Reading
7. About IVA
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1. WELCOME
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This edition of the Ithaca Voices for Animals summer newsletter is going out to some old friends and to some new animal advocates who attended our lecture by Harold Brown. Thanks for sharing your e-mail address with us; we hope that you'll enjoy reading about our organization and our recent and upcoming activities. Once again, we include recipes for egg- and dairy-free treats that are a staple at our information tables and events.
Thank you for getting involved with Ithaca's new animal advocacy group. There's a lot we can do right here in our town to create a more humane and hopeful situation for animals. We hope that you'll continue to stay in touch with us and contact us if you desire additional information or have other ideas about helping animals.
Please feel free to forward this e-newsletter to others you know who care about animals and might be interested in getting involved on their behalf in Ithaca and surrounding communities.
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2. WHAT'S NEW
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>>> Activists uncover disturbing cruelty to chickens on Wegman's upstate NY egg farms.
Members of the Rochester-area Compassionate Consumers obtained undercover footage from inside Wegman's factory-style egg farms. Wegman's eggs are labeled with an "animal care certified" label, but the images obtained by Compassionate Consumers show that Wegman's chickens live in the overcrowded, unhealthy conditions that are typical of egg-layer facilities. The activists rescued several injured and ill birds, some of which later died. Information about the video and updates about the unfolding story are available at the Compassionate Consumer's Wegman's Cruelty website (www.wegmanscruelty.com).
This is an important issue because Wegman's has a large store and local presence in Ithaca. IVA has been actively trying to get and keep this story in the media. The Ithaca Times has covered the story in an August 17th article titled "Animal Cruelty?," and IVA arranged to have the Wegman's Cruelty DVD showing on the public access channel, channel 13, in Ithaca. An editorial in the August 24th Ithaca Times shows that there is interest in this campaign. To date, the Ithaca Journal has not covered the story despite IVA's requests.
Wegman's has defended the accusations of cruelty with a press release arguing that its facilities have been inspected and have passed all of the requirements for the animal care certified label. These standards, however, are set by the egg industry itself and do not reflect the true needs of the birds in Wegman's care. Wegman's also pressed charges against the activists who obtained the undercover footage, and they now face felony burglary charges.
Despite Wegman's reassurances that it cares about chickens, the pictures tell a story of cruelty and suffering. IVA encourages people to boycott Wegman's eggs and to tell their friends and others who care about animals to do the same. Please watch the video from Wegman's egg farms. Compassionate Consumers is offering free downloads of their video, and it's available at the Compassionate Consumers website. You may also obtain the DVD by contating IVA (info@ithacavoices.org).
One additional step you can take to help chickens is to write letters to the editor of the Ithaca Journal to show that readers care about the treatment of farmed animals by local merchants and to convince them that they, too, should be covering this important event and the upcoming trial. IVA has also been participating in weekly Friday protests at Wegman's in cooperation with the Ithaca College animal rights organization Boundless Ethics. The protests are from 5-7 pm. Feel free to join us!
IVA will provide additional details about this unfolding story as they become available. For more immediate updates, see the Compassionate Consumer's website.
>>> IVA's new website is still evolving: www.ithacavoices.org. If you'd like to contribute restaurant reviews or other content, please contact us (info@ithacavoices.org). And be sure to check back frequently for updates.
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3. RECENT EVENTS
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>>> 6/25: WHAT'S HAPPENING TO OUR FOOD? A discussion led by Farm Sanctuary's Harold Brown, former farmer and current advocate for agricultural reform. An audience of more than 50 people turned out at the Tompkins County Public Library to listen to Harold discuss current farming practices, corporate agribusiness, the future of the US food supply, and the way industrial agriculture impacts human health, local economies, the environment, and farmed animals.
Harold's talk was informative, and a lively discussion followed. Harold revealed that serious health risks and pollution from factory farming are present right here in Tompkins County. The water bodies that we so cherish in this area are particularly threatened. Elsewhere in the United States, unfair labor practices are increasingly being used to staff factory farm facilities, and worse, many of the corporations that profit from factory farming are looking to increase their profits even more by moving their facilities overseas--for example to China and (with the recent passage of the CAFTA legislation) to Central America. In these locations, laws to protect animals, laborers, and the environment are less strict or nonexistent.
Corporate takeover of farming has also left many small farmers in the United States struggling or bankrupt, weakening the economy, destroying small towns, and reducing the number of local food sources. A time of crisis for animals, humans, and the environment has definitely arrived with the evolution of industrialized farming.
For more information or if you have additional questions, please see Harold Brown's website, Ask Farmer Brown and the website for Farm Sanctuary.
>>> October 2 was World Farm Animals Day (http://www.wfad.org/).
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4. UPCOMING EVENTS
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>>> Saturday, 10/8: Don't Just Talk the Talk: Walk for Farm Animals. Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen and Ithaca Voices for Animals will be coordinating a Walk for Farm Animals in Ithaca.
The Walk for Farm Animals and will be held on Saturday, October 8, 2005. Pre-registration is encouraged, but there will also be a chance to register on the day of the Walk at 1pm in DeWitt Park in downtown Ithaca. Walkers will meet at this location and the walk will begin at 1:45 pm. A $10 registration fee entitles each participant to a Walk for Farm Animals T-shirt designed by "Bizarro" comic creator Dan Piraro.
If you are interested in participating in this Walk for Farm Animals, please contact IVA member Meghan Beeby at 607-583-2225 ext. 251 or ithaca@walkforfarmanimals.org. For information on how to register and collect pledges, please visit the Walk for Farm Animals website.
The Walk for Farm Animals, held annually across the country, helps fund Farm Sanctuary's rescue and protection campaigns and honors World Farm Animals Day.
>>> To be announced: IVA will be organizing and sponsoring a screening of the Wegman's Cruelty DVD. Details soon.
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5. RECIPES
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>>> Best Vegan Brownies
Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached flour (you can use whole wheat pastry flour for all or part)
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup water
1 cup vegetable oil
Ener-G egg replacer equivalent of 3 eggs (4.5 tsp Ener-G beaten into 6 Tbsp water)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix together remaining ingredients and add to dry ingredients. Mix until smooth. Pour into a 9 x 13 pan and bake 20-30 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.
>>> Vegan Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoon (¼ stick) Earth Balance or other vegan margarine
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
EnerG Egg Replacer equivalent to 1 egg (1 1/2 tsp egg replacer + 2 Tbsp water)
2 extra tablespoons water
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
9 ounces (3 bars) dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Mix or sift together flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
2) Cream the margarine and sugars until smooth, about 4 minutes. Add the egg replacer and extra water and mix well.
3) Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly.
4) Stir in the vanilla. Fold in the nuts, then the chocolate.
5) Drop in 2-tablespoon clumps onto an ungreased cookie sheet, leaving several inches between for expansion.
6) Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly browned. Makes 2 dozen
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6. RECOMMENDED READING
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A book that IVA recommends for those who want to learn more about corporate agriculture, animal advocacy, and veganism. Review by JB Mulcahy.
Peter Lovenheim. Portrait of a Burger as a Young Calf: the True Story of One Man, Two Cows and the Feeding of a Nation. New York: Harmony Books, 2002. ISBN: 0609605917
As animal advocates, we would do well to work on two things: learning more
about farming and understanding farmers themselves. Portrait of a Burger as
a Young Calf provides insight into both in it's depiction of family dairy
farming in central New York. Peter Lovenheim wanted to learn more about
where his food came from, so he purchased two calves at a local dairy and
set out to document their lives "from conception to consumption." The story
he tells exposes the sad realties of dairy farming but, paradoxically to
some, shows great respect for the people involved. This book is an excellent
resource, especially for Ithacans who want to learn more about the industry
that surrounds them. It also serves as a reminder that bad things are
sometimes done by otherwise good people. This is a lesson animal advocates
will have to take to heart if we are to be effective.
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7. ABOUT IVA
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IVA is a new animal advocacy group organized to raise awareness about the suffering and exploitation of animals locally, nationally, and throughout the world. IVA supports the belief that animals are not ours to use for food, fiber, experimentation, or entertainment. IVA puts that philosophy into action by advocating a vegan diet and educating the public about ways to reduce animal suffering and exploitation.
IVA's focus is on animals, but there is no doubt that our concerns intersect with other social justice issues of the day. Pollution, labor abuses, human rights issues, and other environmental concerns are often closely tied to animal agriculture, biomedical research, corporate welfare, and health issues that impact animals as well as humans. IVA seeks to connect with other activists who are working in these areas to make the circle of compassion as wide as possible and translate compassion for animals into awareness about and action against all suffering.
Join our mailing list and learn more at www.ithacavoices.org. Contact IVA at info@ithacavoices.org or 607-277-0159.